


As long as we're alive

by roxkatt



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Death, Eventual Romance, Happy Ending, I promise, M/M, Slow Burn, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, also simon deserves to be happy, it's gonna get dark but i don't like sad endings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:13:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26684947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxkatt/pseuds/roxkatt
Summary: It's been 14 months since the beginning of a zombie apocalypse when a lone stranger reaches the legendary Jericho, only to find that the stories that have been told were nothing but that, stories. The future looks as dark as the halls of the old ship, but the people in Jericho have found a new light. Maybe if they follow it, the stories might come to be true one day.
Relationships: Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human)
Kudos: 6





	As long as we're alive

**Author's Note:**

> So! This is an idea that hit me the other day and I liked it enough to write a fanfic out of it. I have to make a bit of a disclaimer, though: I haven't watched any zombie related media a apart from the first seasons of the walking dead, so if my story is at some point similar to others and I'm not giving credit where it's due it's not my intention! But I'd be grateful if you guys pointed to any similarities that may come up, if they do. (Like, I love zombies, point me towards that good zombie content thank you)
> 
> That being said, I hope you enjoy!

**M A R K U S**

Saying that Jericho wasn't what Markus expected would be an understatement. It was far from the comfort of his father's house; the garden, the sunroom turned art studio, the big, tall walls that had kept them safe for a few months before… But Markus had known that, he knew he would never go back to those quiet days where he could pretend the outside world didn't exist. Still, he had been told that it was a place where people were happy, where food was grown in farms and children played freely. In reality it was an old freighter, rotting even before the rest of the world started rotting with it. Maybe it was best that the man who guided him here died before seeing what his dream looked like in the real world. Markus had learned the hard way that it was best not to dream in this new reality, lest you be disappointed every last moment of your life.

_“Find Jericho”, the man pleaded with desperate eyes almost as if his own life depended on it before Markus fulfilled his part of the agreement. BANG. Just once was enough, a shot to the head to ensure the disease that would kill him wouldn’t bring him back._

He got in easily, despite the man's claims of a community that didn't allow strangers inside without a thorough inspection and a questioning of their intentions. None of that was true in the slightest. There was no one guarding the surroundings, the bridge that connected the ship to the shore had been destroyed and there was only a dangerous makeshift bridge that led to the inside, which was as putrid as the outside, if not worse. Markus had never believed the utopian stories of the nameless man that was his only company for a week or so, but now he was starting to doubt there was anything alive in here at all. With his gun in hand he made his way through the ship, quietly and careful at every turn.

What he didn't account for was the possibility of the floor collapsing beneath his feet.

When he came to, he was surrounded by frightened faces, with someone holding Markus' gun in front of his face.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Asked a wild looking woman with long red hair, she was the one holding the gun. "We have nothing left. Whatever you've heard about Jericho isn't true, so you either go back to your group empty handed, or I'm gonna put a bullet in your head and feed you to the next horde."

With just a quick look around it was easy to see that she was telling the truth. The room they were in was only lit by trash can fires, the smell of salt and rust and must was overwhelming, everyone's clothes were torn and stained, and the dips in their cheeks confirmed not even the farms were true. There was nothing here but people hoping to die in peace.

At first Markus had a hard time processing her words, what with the burning pain in his leg and whatnot, but when he finally did, he looked at her with confusion.

"I don't have a group." He choked out, uselessly holding his injured leg.

"Bullshit!" She pushed, pressing the gun to his head. "Where are they hiding? Did you come in here alone?"

"North…"

The new voice wasn't coming from one of the frightened faces, but from someone new that had been standing away from view. Maybe it was the leader of the place, because as soon as he stepped into the light the woman clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes in annoyance, pulling the gun from his face but not drawing it completely.

"No, Simon. We're not trusting anymore poor lost souls just because you say so. Even if he's alone, we barely have any supplies left."

At this the man, Simon, shook his head. "That's true. But he looks healthier than us. If he truly is alone then he might be useful."

"His fucking leg is broken, how's that useful?"

"Simon is right," One of the faces finally said, another man. "And we can't just throw him out with a broken leg, that's not right."

"Oh, here comes Mr. Ethics Professor. So tell me, what are we supposed to do when his leg is all healed up and he runs away with the last of our supplies?"

"I was a history teacher!"

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me how useless you are too!"

"I'm alone!" Markus shouted with the most annoyance he had accumulated in years. "I'm unarmed and I have nowhere else to go. I was coming here to stay so if you help me fix my leg I can help you in return."

"Help us how?" North glared.

"This is a shipyard. There has to be at least one container with non perishables here. If we open one we'll have supplies for at least a few months." His eyes turned to the man, who was pressing his lips in thought, and then at Simon. "Simon is right. I'm healthy and strong, so I'd be a good asset."

He left out the part where he had only really been exposed to the outside world for a few weeks, but he supposed they didn't need to know that.

The man next to North looked at her and then at Simon. The three of them shared a look before he turned to Markus. "We think we found a container like that a couple weeks ago, but we haven't been able to open it. If you can do it, you can stay."

Simon looked away uncomfortably, but didn't object to the words. Markus could tell that he knew it wasn't right, but he also knew the deal was fair. It was the only way to keep him there without having someone else starve to death. Markus himself knew, so it was easy to understand.

"Do you agree?" North pushed impatiently.

Markus nodded. "Yeah." He told them tiredly. He was relaxing at last, but that meant his leg's pain was starting to become unbearable.

Finally, the man whose name Markus had yet to learn crouched next to him and wrapped Markus' arm around his shoulders, while Simon did the same to his other side.

"I'm Josh," He explained after they had stood up with a bit of a smile that seemed more polite than friendly. "We're gonna take you to the infirmary now, Lucy's gonna take a look at you."

At that moment Markus was glad he was being held, because having finally confirmed that he would be safe for now, he collapsed in exhaustion.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_"You have to go Markus!"_

_"And leave you here? There's no way. Let's go."_

_"I will only be a liability to you. I can take care of myself, son."_

_"I am not going to leave you to die here!"_

_"Here, out there, there's no difference, Markus. You know it's going to happen soon."_

_"Please, Carl…_

"Don't leave me."

As the words left his lips he startled himself awake, then moved away from a pair of gentle hands that were touching his arms. As he looked up at their owner he found a woman with a bandage over her eyes, which made Markus frown in confusion. The woman seemed to notice this somehow, because she placed a gentle hand back on top of his own.

"You're safe now." She told him gently.

The words were such a surprise after his encounter with North and the others that Markus would've sworn he was still dreaming if it wasn't for the uncomfortable sting of his ankle being trapped between two wood boards.

"It might be uncomfortable, but your fracture wasn't too bad. In a few weeks you might be able to walk again."

A few weeks. Would the people from Jericho keep him for a few weeks while being dead weight? Josh had said they couldn't just throw him on the street with a broken foot, but his mind could change when he saw the change in the rations distribution.

"The people at Jericho might be scared and starving, but they're not murderers. You are safe."

Markus gave the woman a confused frown. It was as if she could tell what Markus was thinking, and while he knew it was impossible, it didn't help making him any less uncomfortable. The last thing he wanted was a person inside his mess of a mind.

"You must be Lucy." He asked, not really sure if he wanted to start a conversation at all. The woman smiled, but said nothing else. Markus was grateful.

Lucy let go of his hand and walked to the shelves next to the bed Markus was on. She held a worn out water bottle and handed it to him. He accepted it gladly and downed the whole thing in one go. The last time he had access to clean water had probably been the few days after he left Carl's house.

The room Markus was in now seemed to be the only room in the whole ship that was clean, although it was as untidy as the rest of it. There seemed to be a good amount of medical supplies for a school nursery, which wasn't ideal in a community of fifteen people or so, but it was enough if people didn't seem to do things that would cause them to injure themselves. Though they didn't seem to be doing any sort of thing at all.

"Change and loss will come to this place." Lucy said so suddenly that Markus was slightly startled. "The key will come to you."

Her message was so cryptic, that Markus dismissed it entirely, but in reality it was hard to forget. Somehow it drilled itself a spot in Markus' brain and stayed there. He said nothing and Lucy said nothing as well. She just gave him a last smile before stepping out of the room with a makeshift candle holder in her hand, which had been the only source of light in the room.

He was disoriented and confused, sore, hungry, cold. Jericho wasn't what Markus expected, but it was safe. He was quickly starting to realize that safe was the only comfort that truly mattered, so Jericho was as much of a dream to him as it was to his former companion.


End file.
